Page 2 of Bray
“Wh–at?”
“See, I don’t think you really have one. I’m gonna follow and if there’s no boyfriend, I’m going to drag your ass into the bathroom and fuck it. Bend you over the toilet so I don’t have to see your face.”
The blood rushed from my face and I felt dizzy. I stepped back. Then again. He grossed me out andscared the shit out of me. And he was mean. “I… I do have one.”
He held out his hand with a flourish like a game show host. “Let’s go meet this boyfriend of yours.”
I didn’t linger. I tucked my tray under my arm and headed right for Bray. Mr. Perfect.
My fake boyfriend.
2
BRAY
Even in the crowded,noisy bar, I sensed her before I saw her.
Katherine Camden. Katie.
My sister Lainey’s best friend.
I tipped my hat back so I could get a better look at her.
I’d known her since she was just a girl. Never paid her any mind other than Lainey being a pest and Katie being with her. Because while Lainey was loud, bold and often obnoxiously extroverted, Katie was quiet.
Over the years, the shy and gawky girl had turned into a still-shy, but beautiful woman with curves for days. One summer, I came back from college and fuck,she’d been all grown up. Suddenly, the sight of her made my dick hard. Even though I’d been with other women, she was what I thought about when I jerked off in the shower. That soft smile. Big tits. Grabbable hips.
I dreamed of making the quiet woman scream and specifically my name. I wanted to be the one to crack her open.
Tonight, she was modestly dressed–for a Friday night at The Roadside–in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt, but every bit of her round, pert body couldn’t be hidden. Every inch of her was lush and fuckable.
And off limits. There might be a bro code, but no one fucked a little sister’s best friend.
Except my dick didn’t know about that rule because every time I saw her, I wanted her. What guy wouldn’t? Sweet, kind, and quietly pretty. Hell, just quiet.
For some reason, I got fuckin’ hard for the shy one.
Now, she was coming closer.
And closer.
At this distance, I could see the tray in her hand, the black apron around her waist that held a bunch of straws and an order pad. Wait. She worked here?
At The Roadside? This dive?
She was too… good for this shithole. Sweet. Innocent.
Why the hell was she working here? This place wasn’t for her. I’d been working too many hours lately to catch up with Lainey. As one of the only farriers in the area, I pretty much had the horse shoeing market covered in Devil’s Ditch. That was a good thing, because there were a shit-ton of horses, but it also meant I had too much work. I needed a partner to help with the load, but that was a tomorrow problem.
Out of all of my siblings, Lainey was the best at riding a horse, collecting more and more trophies and prize winnings at barrel racing. She hadn’t gone pro like Trig since she worked the family ranch and only competed as a hobby, although she said the winnings didn’t hurt. Cam was the vet who took care of the animals. I was farrier who took care of their hooves. Katie Camden, though, had a way with horses unlike any other. She ran a boarding stable on her family’s property and was known around town as the horse whisperer. Able to coax a wild mustang bought at federal auction into docile submission.
Right now, in a noisy bar, I was focused on quiet Katie. Where my sister was loud and sometimes pretty fuckin’ crazy, Katie was a total introvert. Soft spoken. She watched instead of participated. Didn’t get noticed.
Except, I sure as hell did.
Since I was watching her so closely, it was easy tosee that something was wrong. She looked pained. No, scared. Here eyes were wide and she looked nervous as fuck. Kept glancing over her shoulder. Whatever was wrong, I didn’t like it and I had an instant need to protect.
Not just because she was a woman who might need my help, or even because she was Lainey’s best friend, but because this was Katie Camden and there was no way I was letting anyone fuck with her.
